1.Deeefense: I actually think Rochester could win this whole shooting match. Why? Because it can defend and defend well. These Rhinos are organized and have shown enough grit that they do make it tough for teams to break them down. If they can sneak a goal here or there, they can win or play 0-0 draws and go through on PKs. Wouldn't sexy but it'd be effective.

2. No. 1 for Bob: For the Rhinos, it was their eighth win ever against an MLS squad, but for coach coach Bob Lilley it was his first. And his formation changes have been masterful. He changes them up like the weather changes in Rochester, keeping opponents off balance. When he wanted to shut off service from the wings and protect that 1-goal lead over the final 20 minutes, he went to a five-defender set that spread from sideline to sideline for better coverage of United's wide players This team is pretty deep and adapts well.

3. Disrespected? I asked Rhinos forward Colin Rolfe, who scored the winning goal in the 27th minute after Mike Garzi did the dirty work, and defender Kyle Hoffer if they felt disrespected because United didn't play its first-team lineup. They gave me mostly vanilla answers, saying the MLS team fielded a squad it thought could win. Ah, these young Rhinos. Even Lilley gave me a tame answer. Yes, I know those guys on the other side were "MLS players," as Rolfe said, but I miss the brash, old trash-talking Rhinos from yesteryear. How would Scott Schweitzer have answered? "I guess D.C. wanted to come here and lose." Or ... "They probably didn't want us to embarrass their first-team, either."

4. Mentally tough: You've got to hand it to these Rhinos. They flew to L.A. last Tuesday, beat L.A. on Wednesday, bused to Arizona on Thursday, lost to Arizona United on Saturday, flew all day to Rochester on Sunday, trained on Monday - the only practice Lilley could prep his squad for United - and still executed the coach's game plan. Road weary - yes. Mentally strong - yes again. Defender Pat McMahon and forward Alex Dixon also both started and they were nursing injuries.

5. To the road they go: The Rhinos will face their MLS affiliate, New England, or the Richmond Kickers in the next round on Tuesday or Wednesday and it'll be on the road - thankfully. Why would I say that? Because it'll be less depressing than another weak crowd at Sahlen's Stadium. Where are our soccer fans? Tell me. It was D.C. United in town. Even way back when when MLS clubs brought their "B" team to Rochester, we still drew 4,000 or 6,000 fans. I know the weather was dicey on Tuesday, but early on it was a gorgeous summer night. I feel that I need to write a story soon on why our soccer teams are NOT drawing fans. One reason is a lack of smart scheduling. The Rhinos and Flash will combine to have four matches at home in six days this week. That's just too much. There's not enough of a fan base to ask fans to come out that many times in one week. Yes, I know the Cup game might not have happened but still ... not great to cluster this many matches.